Typically, gas turbine engines include a compressor for compressing air, a combustor for mixing the compressed air with fuel and igniting the mixture, and a turbine blade assembly for producing power. Combustors often operate at high temperatures that may exceed 2,500 degrees Fahrenheit. Typical turbine combustor configurations expose turbine blade assemblies to these high temperatures. As a result, turbine blades and turbine vanes must be made of materials capable of withstanding such high temperatures. Turbine blades, vanes and other components often contain cooling systems for prolonging the life of these items and reducing the likelihood of failure as a result of excessive temperatures.
Cooling fluids are typically supplied to a turbine rotor from a combustor. The cooling fluids flow from the combustor and into a pre-swirler configured to discharge the cooling fluids at a velocity equal to the velocity of the turbine rotor. Such a system reduces the relative velocity loss and pressure loss entering the rotating hole on the disk of the turbine rotor. Although such system enhances the efficiency of the system, a need exists for additional efficiencies to meet demands placed on the turbine engine cooling system.